Is OA For You?

Only you can decide that question. No one else can make this decision for you. We who are now in OA have found a way of life which enables us to live without the need for excess food. We believe that compulsive overeating is a progressive illness, one that, like alcoholism and some other illnesses, can be arrested. Remember, there is no shame in admitting you have a problem; the most important thing is to do something about it.

In Overeaters Anonymous, you’ll find members who are extremely overweight, even morbidly obese; moderately overweight; average weight; underweight; still maintaining periodic control over their eating behavior; or totally unable to control their compulsive eating. OA members experience many different patterns of food behaviors. These “symptoms” are as varied as our membership. Among them are:

obsession with body weight, size and shape

eating binges or grazing

preoccupation with reducing diets

starving

laxative or diuretic abuse

excessive exercise

inducing vomiting after eating

chewing and spitting out food

use of diet pills, shots and other medical interventions to control weight

inability to stop eating certain foods after taking the first bite

fantasies about food

vulnerability to quick-weight-loss schemes

constant preoccupation with food

using food as a reward or comfort

Our symptoms may vary, but we share a common bond: we are powerless over food and our lives are unmanageable. This common problem has led those in OA to seek and find a common solution in the Twelve Steps, the Twelve Traditions and eight tools of Overeaters Anonymous.

Who can recover with OA?

OA is for *anyone* who has a problem with food. The best way to find out whether Overeaters Anonymous can work for you is to go to a meeting. Because meetings reflect the diversity of our fellowship, OA suggests that you attend at least five different OA meetings before deciding whether the program is for you.

-Reprinted with permission from the World Service Organization of Overeaters Anonymous.

Next MDKIG Meeting

June 1, 2019

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

The first Convention Planning Meeting to follow IG meeting at 12:30 PM. All are welcome to help participate in planning this great annual event in October 2019.